Katniss and the gang have a new Gamekeeper

Well, that didn’t take long. Lionsgate announced yesterday that the director chosen for “Catching Fire,” the sequel to “The Hunger Games” coming out next year, is …. Francis Lawrence. He beat out Bennett Miller (“Moneyball”) for the gig, as well as several other early contenders after “Hunger Games” head guy Gary Ross declined the gig.

But at least Lawrence – Francis, not Jennifer – knows how to craft a crowd-pleasing adaptation of a beloved book, just like he did with “Water for Elephants” ……. hmmm.

OK, but he should be able to handle the numerous action scenes of “Catching Fire” in a way that wows the critics just like he did in “Constantine” ……………………………….